Unable to add activities list in default ticket description

Question

I've been trying to write a template for my story tickets, that template contains the activities list (checkboxes), the issue, is that when a story is created, those activities are transoform to a simple bullet list items.

So in the ticket default description edit, the preview looks like this:

Once the ticket is created:

Viktoriia Golovtseva (TitanApps) · Answer

Hey @Ihor Mytyuk

What you’re seeing usually happens when Jira renders the Description with a format that doesn’t support interactive checkboxes, so the “tasks” fall back to plain bullets.

Here are a few quick things to try, depending on your setup:

If you’re on Jira Cloud

Use markdown task-list syntax exactly like this (one space after the dash):- [ ] AC1 …- [ ] AC2 …- [ ] AC3 …

Make sure the lines aren’t inside a quote, code block, or table

Avoid extra indentation before the dash; leading spaces can also convert them to bullets.

If you’re on Jira Data Center / Server

Check the field renderer for Description in your Field Configuration. It should be Wiki Style Renderer. If it’s the default text renderer, checkbox syntax won’t render and you’ll get bullets after create.

Note that DC’s wiki renderer doesn’t fully support modern task lists like Cloud does, so even with the right renderer you may still get limited behavior.

If your goal is stable, clickable acceptance criteria  after the issue is created, I’d recommend using a checklist app instead of the free-form Description. That keeps items structured, trackable, and templateable.

As the representative of the tool, I'd recommend: Smart Checklist from TitanApps

Add acceptance criteria or activities as checklist items (not in the Description).

Reuse them with templates for Story creation.

Let devs and QAs tick items directly in the issue, keep progress visible, and avoid the “turned into bullets” problem.

You can also make certain items mandatory or trigger simple automations when everything is done.

We wrote a short guide on this approach (what AC is, DoD vs AC, and how to add AC cleanly in Jira): https://titanapps.io/blog/acceptance-criteria-jira/

Ihor Mytyuk · Answer

I'm on Cloud, btw as I understood, the checklist will not be shown in default ticket's description even by using the Checklists for Jira right? Or by "enable the Checklist custom field via Marketplace" you mean a different product?

Benedetta Russo · Answer

Jira’s default description field only supports wiki-style markdown, so checklist syntax isn’t preserved on issue creation.

You can:

Use Jira’s built-in checklist apps (e.g. Checklist for Jira, Issue Checklist Pro), or

Stick to standard * bullet lists in the template, or

If on Cloud, enable the Checklist custom field via Marketplace add-ons for true checkbox behavior.

Native Jira can’t keep interactive checkboxes in the default description.